Euro 2012: Spain's 3 Players Who Must Step Up in Knockout Stages

Spain, the favorites at Euro 2012, have all but assured themselves a place in the knockout rounds thanks to their dominant 4-0 victory over Ireland.

Now, a matchup with a dangerous Croatian side is all that stands between them and the quarterfinals. If they win or draw against Croatia, the Spaniards will advance to the final eight, where they will look to win their third consecutive major tournament.

Although things have been fairly easy for Spain thus far, they won't be able to skate with sub-par performances past Croatia nor whomever they face in the knockout stages.

The following players must step up for Spain to be crowned kings of Euro 2012.

Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres is a riddle wrapped inside of an enigma.

One day, he's blowing easy chances and looking like a man who's lost all hope. The next, he's a cold-blooded, cannon-footed assassin, blasting goals into the back of the net with style and force.

If the under-confident Torres shows up in the knockout stages, Spain will be doomed to an early exit. But if the man who ripped off two gorgeous goals against Ireland steps onto the pitch, the Spaniards will once again lift the trophy.

Iker Casillas

Casillas hasn't been tested much thus far, making just seven saves in two games. However, he will have to be on his toes against Croatia and beyond.

The Croatians have scored four times in two games with eight shots on goal in each. Although I expect the Spanish defense to perform better than Italy and Ireland, the likes of Mario Mandzukic and Nikica Jelavic will certainly pose a threat to Casillas.

His trials will get even tougher in the quarterfinals, where Spain could face either Ukraine, England or France. All three have quality strikers who would test Casillas throughout.

Of course, the Real Madrid keeper is one of the best in the world so I'm confident in his ability to step up when the stakes get high.

Sergio Ramos

Ramos oozes class on the back line, but he made a crucial mistake that nearly doomed Spain in their opening match.

The Real Madrid defender practically gifted the Italians a goal after botching a back pass to Casillas. Luckily, the unpredictable Mario Balotelli froze in the box, allowing Ramos to catch up and fix his mistake.

Ramos has 88 career appearances with the national team, and errors like this have been few and far between. Still, if he has another mental lapse in the opposition's attacking third, he could cripple his team's chances at winning Euro 2012.